What Is a CV?
A CV (curriculum vitae) is a document that summarises your professional background — work history, education, skills and achievements — for a prospective employer. In the UK, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe, the document is called a CV. In the US and Canada, it is usually called a resume (though "CV" is used in academic and research contexts).
Before You Start Writing
A strong CV is targeted — written with a specific role or industry in mind. Before you open a blank document:
- Read 5–10 job descriptions for the type of role you are applying for
- Note the skills, tools and qualifications mentioned most often
- Identify the language employers in your target industry use
This research shapes every section of your CV — from the summary to the bullet points in your work experience.
CV Structure — Every Section Explained
1. Contact Information
Top of the page. Include: full name, phone number, professional email address, LinkedIn URL, city and country. Do not include: date of birth, photo (UK/Europe), full home address, nationality or marital status.
2. Professional Summary (3–5 lines)
A brief positioning statement that tells the recruiter who you are immediately. Lead with your experience level, your speciality, and your strongest credential.
Example: "Digital marketing manager with 7 years of experience in SEO, content strategy and paid media across e-commerce and SaaS. Grew organic traffic by 280% at a D2C brand over 18 months. Seeking a senior or head-of role in a data-driven marketing team."
3. Work Experience
List in reverse chronological order (most recent first). For each role:
- Job title, company name, location, dates (month and year)
- 4–6 bullet points per role
- Focus on achievements, not duties — use numbers wherever possible
- Start each bullet with a strong action verb: Led, Built, Reduced, Grew, Delivered, Designed
Weak bullet: "Responsible for managing the customer support team."
Strong bullet: "Led a team of 12 customer support agents, reducing average resolution time from 48 hours to 6 hours and achieving a 94% CSAT score."
4. Education
List qualifications in reverse chronological order. Include: institution, qualification and subject, grade (if strong), year of completion. If you graduated more than 5 years ago, keep this brief. Graduates should put this before work experience.
5. Skills
A concise list of verifiable, relevant skills — tools, software, languages, certifications. Do not pad with soft skills ("good communicator", "team player") — these belong in your bullet points as demonstrated evidence, not in a list.
6. Optional Sections
Depending on your background: certifications, languages, publications, projects, volunteering, professional memberships, or awards.
How Long Should Your CV Be?
- Graduates and early career (0–3 years): 1 page
- Mid-career (3–10 years): 2 pages
- Senior professionals (10+ years): 2–3 pages
Formatting Rules
- Font: Arial, Calibri, or Georgia — 10–12pt body, 14–16pt name
- Margins: 1.5–2cm on all sides
- Single column layout (multi-column breaks ATS systems)
- No tables, text boxes, images or graphics
- Save as PDF unless the employer specifies Word
- File name: FirstnameLastname-CV.pdf
How to Write CV Bullet Points That Get Noticed
The formula: Action verb + what you did + measurable result
- "Launched a customer referral programme that generated 1,200 new users in Q3 at a cost-per-acquisition 40% below paid channel average"
- "Renegotiated supplier contracts across 6 vendors, achieving £340,000 in annual savings without quality compromise"
- "Designed and delivered onboarding training for 45 new hires across 3 international offices, reducing ramp time by 3 weeks"
Tailoring Your CV for Each Application
A generic CV sent to 100 jobs performs worse than a tailored CV sent to 10. For each application:
- Adjust your professional summary to reflect the specific role and company
- Add keywords from the job description that match your genuine experience
- Reorder bullet points to lead with the most relevant achievements
- Ensure your job titles align with the terminology the employer uses
ATS — Making Your CV Machine-Readable
Most employers use software to screen CVs before a human reads them. To pass:
- Use standard section headings: Work Experience, Education, Skills
- Avoid tables, multi-column layouts, images and text boxes
- Place contact details in the document body — not the header/footer
- Mirror the exact terminology used in the job description
The 10 Most Common CV Mistakes
- No professional summary — or a vague one
- Listing duties instead of achievements
- No numbers or metrics in bullet points
- Sending the same CV to every job without tailoring
- Using a multi-column or table-based template
- Including a photo (UK/Europe applications)
- Typos and inconsistent formatting
- Going too long (10+ years experience on 4 pages) or too short (15 years of experience squeezed onto 1 page)
- Using the same generic phrases as everyone else
- "References available on request" — delete it